Rescue teams battle blaze; 2 miners still missing

USATODAY.comRescue teams searched deep inside a coal mine Friday for two miners missing after an underground conveyer belt caught fire. Nineteen others had reached the surface safely and waited in a church with relatives in a scene reminiscent of another West Virginia mine disaster less than three weeks earlier.

Fighting fire and smoke, rescuers rushed to find two trapped coal miners today, the second such deadly race against time in West Virginia this month.

At least 20 teams were working at the Alma No. 1 Mine in Melville, W. Va., seeking the pair after a fire Thursday night. The search was being hindered by smoke and the need to fight the fire, state officials said at an evening briefing.